


live and die as one

by joshllyman



Category: Haikyuu!!
Genre: Alternate Universe, Alternate Universe - Robin Hood Fusion, Found Family, M/M, Mentioned Kiyoko/Tanaka, Mentioned Kiyoko/Tanaka/Nishinoya, Minor Violence, Nonbinary Character, Nonbinary Sugawara Koushi, Other, Trans Character, minor manga spoilers
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-06-13
Updated: 2020-06-13
Packaged: 2021-03-04 00:08:14
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 7,440
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24704329
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/joshllyman/pseuds/joshllyman
Summary: Koushi Sugawara is a thief by trade, stealing from the rich and redistributing their wealth back to the people who need it most. They, along with their friends Daichi and Asahi, plan to execute a normal raid on a caravan passing through their part of the forest. But the caravan and its passenger turn out to be anything but ordinary, and Koushi finds themself facing a dilemma that could risk everything they've built up over the years.
Relationships: Azumane Asahi/Sawamura Daichi, Kageyama Tobio/Sugawara Koushi, Minor or Background Relationship(s)
Comments: 8
Kudos: 42





	live and die as one

**Author's Note:**

> happy birthday koushi! you deserve the world, and i thank you for giving me a place to call home

Koushi wasn’t ever a patient child.

They were constantly interrupting their mother, their father, their three older siblings. They dashed out at first light in the morning and never came home until sundown. Their mother cursed them when they broke plates as they hurried from the kitchen to the table, and their father cursed them when they broke the hearts of local women, refusing to marry. As a very small child, they spent their days in the woods, scaring away animals and pretending to be a knight, and it was to these same woods that they eventually ran away, fed up with familial expectations they refused to meet.

If anything has changed about Koushi, it’s that they’re much more patient. They are willing, for example, to spend hours on a well-hidden tree branch, their bow in their lap, as they wait for a caravan due to pass by on a path into town. Later, they will complain about their aching back, and as Asahi applies a salve Daichi will tease them about growing old. For the moment, it is but a fleeting thought, one easily dismissed as they keep their eyes fixated on the road. 

Below them and several meters back, Daichi waits with his greatsword still in its scabbard. He generally only draws it as a threat, and even if he must use it, he will only injure, never kill. Asahi is also hiding somewhere below, carrying a quarterstaff and a supply of medicine hidden away in his satchel. Koushi is the watch, and generally the most forceful of the three of them. It’s their duty to stop whatever comes their way, do all the talking and threatening, and convince the passersby that it’s probably for the best that they do this the easy way. It takes the right balance of charisma, which Koushi has in spades, and confidence, which they’re used to faking by now. 

“Koushi!” Daichi’s voice calls. He was an armorer in a former life and engaged to the girl he’d grown up next door to. He’d left town the day he was due to be married, realizing he couldn’t force her into a loveless marriage. 

Koushi tears their eyes away from the road with a frown. They try to answer as quietly as possible without risking their voices being heard by any potential travelers on the road, even though they haven’t seen anyone for an hour. “What?”

“Are you sure they’re slated to come through today? We’ve been here for hours!”

Koushi sighs and looks back to the road. “Yes, Daichi. Kiyoko was confident it would be today.”

Kiyoko is a contact in town, the daughter of the sheriff. She’s their eyes and ears among the most important townsfolk and often accompanies her father on important journeys. All of the information she overhears is smuggled back to Koushi, Daichi, and Asahi by way of her husband, Ryuunosuke. 

“Should we have asked Yuu to join us?” Asahi asks. He is a former priest who walked away from the church when he found his brothers to be more concerned with money than God.

“Out of town,” Koushi answers. 

Yuu is the part-time lover of Ryuunosuke and Kiyoko, a traveler who spends much of his time out in the country. He sometimes joins Koushi and the others on caravan raids if they think they’ll need backup. The three of them are essential pieces of the operation Koushi runs. 

“Anyway, it’s not the nobleman himself coming. It’s his son, and he only has two guards.”

“Why are they sending the son with such an important shipment?” Daichi asks. “This is enough gold to give to the people of several towns.”

They never keep more than a small amount of their earnings themselves. Asahi has a contact at the church, a nun friend named Hitoka that helped him escape, that they smuggle the vast majority of the money to. She redistributes it back to the poorest in the cities and towns nearby. In that way, Koushi thinks, it’s not really theft that they’re engaged in. It’s charity. 

“Hell if I know,” Koushi answers. They gaze into the distance again and see nothing. “Maybe they don’t know about us.”

“Everyone knows about us,” Asahi answers.

“Gettin’ big in the britches, Asahi?” Koushi teases.

“N-no,” Asahi splutters. “I just mean—we’re well known across the vast majority of the country, even as far south as—”

“Shh!” Koushi says suddenly. A two-horse carriage is approaching with a separate rider in front of and behind, just as Kiyoko had described. There’s a good chance these are the men they’re looking for. Koushi makes a call like that of a cardinal, signaling the advance of their target.

The moments waiting for a mark are always a combination of exhilarating and anxiety-inducing. They have learned to pass the time by breathing in and out as deeply as possible and counting their breaths.

One: in, hold, out. The rider in front calls to the rider in back, and both of them laugh. Another cardinal call to tell Daichi and Asahi they’re in the clear.

Two: in, hold, out. The passenger in the carriage sticks his head out, and though Koushi can only barely make out his features from this distance, they can say with certainty that he’s strikingly handsome. Dark hair, like both the riders, and a prominent jawline. Koushi decides on their method of attack.

Three: in, hold, out. They draw their bow into their arms and nock an arrow, aiming it at the spot just in front of where they’re perched. 

Four: in, hold, out. The rider in front turns his head to argue with something the passenger has said. This may be even easier than Koushi thought.

Five: in, hold.

Attack.

They loose the arrow from their grasp, and it buries itself in the road just ahead of the first rider. The horse neighs and bucks, and the rider nearly loses his grasp on the animal. Before he has time to say anything, Koushi has nocked and loosed another arrow, just behind the second horse, and it’s always a thrill to see the look of fear in their targets’ eyes as they realize they’re outclassed. Koushi looses a few more arrows, to inspire more fear in both rider and horse, and then they swing down out of the tree. They sling their bow across their back and switch to a dagger in their belt, which they point at the first rider.

“Hello, boys!” Koushi says jovially. “Lovely day we’re having, isn’t it?”

“We’re not giving you anything,” says the guard.

“Oh, come now, you don’t know that!” Koushi laughs. “Why, I haven’t even wrangled your name from you yet.”

“Surely you know who we transport.”

“Oh, yes, I know his name,” Koushi answers. By now the second guard has approached as well. “And I’m certain you know mine.”

“Hood,” says the second rider.

Koushi sighs. “I only wear hoods when I’m in town, really, they couldn’t have come up with something more creative than that?”

“Oh, come on, you complain about that every time,” Daichi says, coming out from his spot in the woods. His hands are resting on the hilt of his greatsword, and Koushi watches as the riders exchange a nervous look.

“Come on down, boys, the water’s fine,” Koushi says, indicating the ground where they stand. “And you still haven’t shared your names. That’s fine, I suppose I’ll just call you Turnip-head,” they indicate the front rider, “and you, you can be Grumpy.”

Grumpy’s frown deepens. “This is a mistake you’re making.”

“We’re not asking much,” Daichi says.

“Just all the gold you’re carrying,” Koushi adds with a grin.

“What’s the hold up?” asks the passenger of the carriage. 

Koushi’s head turns to him as he steps out. They’d been right in saying he was striking, and up close even more so. His gaze is piercing, blue eyes peering out from under his hair, and Koushi has to hide the way they gasp.

“Well, I know who you are, Tobio Kageyama, but no one bothered telling me how handsome you are,” Koushi says, abandoning the guards and approaching him. “They’re calling me Hood.”

“I know who you are,” Tobio says. He’s wearing a frown, and Koushi can’t help but wonder how beautiful he might be when he smiles. “And I know what you want.”

“I assure you, you don’t,” Koushi says. 

“The gold?”

“Oh! Well that, of course.” Koushi laughs. “But I have to confess...I can think of other things we could do…”

Koushi is rewarded with a bright red blush that spreads across Tobio’s cheeks. “T-that’s hardly appropriate…”

“Yes, because bandits living in the woods are generally considered upstanding members of society,” Daichi says, and Koushi can hear that he’s rolling his eyes as he does so. “Come on,  _ Hood _ , stop flirting so we can get on with it.”

“The flirting’s the fun part,” Koushi argues. “It’s not every day we get to rob someone this incredibly beautiful.”

Tobio shoots a look at Turnip-head and Grumpy, who shrug.

“Let’s just get it over with,” Turnip-head says, putting a hand to his sword, but Tobio shakes his head.

“I don’t wish to fight,” Tobio says.

“We’d prefer that, too,” Koushi agrees. 

“But I’m not giving you the gold.”

“I’m afraid that’s where you’re mistaken.” Koushi smiles sweetly and presses the tip of their dagger to Tobio’s throat. “Give us the gold, and we won’t hurt you. Unless you’re into that,” they add with a wink.

Tobio reddens again but stands his ground. “What about a compromise?”

“We’re not big on compromises,” says Daichi.

“Hear me out,” Tobio says. “Take only half of what we have, and let us pass with the rest.”

“And why would we do that?” Koushi asks. 

Tobio stares at them for a long moment. He draws a knife from his sleeve and drops it on the ground. “Step into the carriage with me for a moment, please.”

“You were armed,” Koushi says, grinning wider in their delight. “Why should I trust you now?”

“That’s his only weapon,” Turnip-head says. “Kageyama, what are you doing?”

“Just trust me,” Tobio answers, glaring at him. His gaze softens when he looks back at Koushi. “Please.”

Koushi looks carefully at him. They can find no trace of dishonesty in his face, and slowly they lower their dagger. “Friar!” they call.

A moment later, Asahi appears, looking confused. “Where’s the fight?”

“Keep an eye on those guards with Little Chi,” Koushi says, not taking their eyes away from Tobio even though they can feel Daichi rolling his eyes at the nickname. “I’m giving this man five minutes, and if we haven’t emerged by then, attack.”

“Hood, this isn’t a good—”

Koushi holds up a hand. “I’ll not hear it.” They set their arrows down on the ground beside Tobio’s knife, along with their dagger. “The bow I keep with me,” they say, slinging it across their back.

“Fine.” He steps up into the carriage and offers a hand to Koushi, who takes it and tries to guard the curiosity in their face. 

The inside of the carriage is plainer than Koushi had expected for someone of enough clout to pass through with this much gold. In fact, it’s not noticeably any nicer than the carriages Koushi themself used to take into town with their family. Questions arise in Koushi’s mind faster than they can keep up with, but they silence themself and hope for answers.

“To be honest, I was hoping you would stop our caravan today,” Tobio admits. He looks out the window. “I have heard of you, of course, but more importantly I’ve heard what you’re doing with the money you take.”

Koushi keeps their mouth closed for now. They don’t want to confirm mere rumors, but Tobio seems to have a solid source of information, and they’d like to know how much more he knows.

“It’s...a good thing, that you’re doing. It’s the right thing. Men like my father sit on their mountains of gold and take and take and take without even providing for the people around them. That isn’t how wealth should be used. It should be used to contribute to a community, to better the people and their conditions. There is no reason my townspeople should suffer because my father refuses to serve them.”

“Your father and the others like him,” Koushi says. “They are why we do what we do.”

“As the younger child, I am not in a position to be able to help from within the system,” Tobio continues. “My sister will inherit the title.”

“Your sister would inherit?” Koushi questions.

“She was born like me, but prefers a woman’s name and presentation,” Tobio explains. “For now, around our father, she continues to pretend to be the perfect son, but when she takes over, she will transition into who she actually is. But our father is young and in good health, so that may be many years.”

“You could seek noblehood elsewhere,” Koushi suggests. “Marry the daughter of a man with enough wealth to make a difference.”

Tobio shifts uncomfortably. “I would prefer that method as a last resort. Women are...frightening, and not really my style.”

Koushi smiles. “I feel the same. What’s your point, though?”

“I will give you half the gold I carry now,” Tobio says, and he even opens the chest at his feet and reveals the amount inside. “You can take it. It’s yours. Let us pass with the rest, and I will return to you in two nights’ time with half again the amount you see.”

Koushi folds their arms. Again, they see no trace of dishonesty in his features, but something isn’t adding up. “Why should I trust you?”

Tobio sighs. “I suppose there’s no reason to trust me. All I can offer is my word, and the symbol of my father’s house.” He slips the ring off his middle finger and places it in Koushi’s palm. His hands cover Koushi’s own as he meets their eyes. “It means nothing to me, truly, but if it makes you believe me, I will gladly hand it over. At the very least, you can pawn it for money if you desire. It should fetch a pretty price.”

“And my name on the wanted posters. Not that it isn’t there already. What will you do, then, after you’ve stolen this money and brought it to me?”

Tobio blushes again. “To be honest, I...I had hoped I could join your party.”

Koushi blinks. They have been friends with Daichi and Asahi for several years now, and even their partnership with Yuu goes back quite a ways. No one has joined their number in a good long time. The thought of having to provide for another is daunting; sometimes they barely get enough food for three of them as it is. 

“What skills do you bring?” Koushi asks.

“I’m trained in dual wielding,” Tobio responds. “I prefer scimitars, but I can get by with other small weapons as well. I can treat basic wounds, but my understanding is you have someone dedicated to that already. And I am well acquainted with nobility, so I have a fount of information that could be used to further your cause.”

He makes a good argument, Koushi supposes, but there’s still the nagging worry that they’re going to be betrayed. Koushi leans forward. “The men out there are my family, Tobio. We live and die as one. I’m willing to add another member to our number, but I have to be absolutely sure you won’t hurt them.”

Tobio takes Koushi’s hand, and he’s trembling as he brings it to his lips. “My sister is the only family I have left, and she is well aware of my desires to be rid of my name and burden. Hood, all I can say is that I will do everything in my power to protect your friends...and to protect you.”

His gaze is still piercing, honest and open and terrifying in its intensity.

“I swear it,” he murmurs, and then he kisses Koushi’s fingers.

They stare at each other, Koushi breathless and stunned into silence for the first time they can remember. 

“Five minutes are nearly up, and these guards are getting antsy!” Daichi calls.

Koushi breaks away, tugging their hands away from Tobio, and looks at the door. “We’ll meet you here in two nights’ time.”

Tobio heaves a sigh of relief. 

“And it’s Koushi,” they say. They pause with their hand on the door to turn their head back to them. “My name. Koushi Sugawara.”

Tobio gapes at them, and they smile as they climb out of the carriage. 

“Daichi, come help me carry this,” they say, calling him over. “No fight today, boys, you’re getting your way.”

“We’re only taking half?” Daichi questions.

“We’re giving them half?” Turnip-head says.

Tobio hops down out of the carriage. “Everything’s taken care of,” he says. “Kindaichi, Kunimi, collect the arrows Hood has shot and return them.”

Koushi whips around to fix Tobio with a look, but Tobio’s face is impassive now, nothing like it had been before. He walks off to coerce his guards into following his order as Daichi and Koushi begin collecting gold and putting it into their satchels.

Daichi leans in and murmurs in Koushi’s ear. “You give him a blowjob or something?”

Koushi elbows him. “If I were going to do that, I’d need longer than five minutes.”

“What’s the deal, then?”

“I’ll tell you later.”

Daichi looks at them, his hands frozen while Koushi continues to work. Daichi has been at Koushi’s side the longest, and he knows Koushi better than just about anyone. Koushi knows the appraising look he’s giving is well-intentioned.

“You’re sure this is the right decision?”

Koushi looks at Tobio, who’s being laughed at by his guards. Their eyes meet for half a moment before Tobio looks away.

Koushi pockets another handful of gold. “I hope so.”

***

The gold is passed to Hitoka easily enough. She arrives with a young priest named Shouyou who has heard about their good work and wants to help, and they load the money into their arms while Daichi keeps watch.

“Be safe,” Hitoka says, holding both of Asahi’s hands in her own. It’s amusing to watch, the tiny nun clasping tall, muscly Asahi and wishing him good passage. She says a quick prayer for all of them, and then she and Shouyou head back into town.

Koushi explains the situation with Tobio to Daichi and Asahi that night at the fire. Asahi spends so long gaping at them that a chunk of his venison falls to the ground from the bone.

“It took three weeks before I could convince you to let me help,” Asahi argues. “And I was a clergyman!”

“All the more reason for me to be distrustful,” Koushi answers, a smirk on their face, and Daichi howls with laughter. 

“Shut up,” Asahi says, taking a vicious bite out of his meat and frowning at Daichi. “Not all clergymen are bad.”

“Just like not all noblemen are wealthy old farts who hoard great big piles of gold, hm?” Daichi shoots back. “Name one good noble.”

“Kageyama, apparently,” Asahi says, gesturing at Koushi.

“Doesn’t count,” Koushi says, shaking their head. “Dad’s bad and Tobio won’t ever inherit, so he’s not technically a nobleman.”

Asahi huffs. “I’m sure there’s one, even if I don’t know one off the top of my head…”

“Name one and Daichi’ll kiss you,” Koushi says.

“What?” Daichi shouts, just as Asahi shouts the same.

Koushi laughs, slapping their hand on their knee. “You should have seen the looks on your faces.” They throw their bones in the fire. “I’m headed to bed. Try not to argue all night, yeah?”

They slap Daichi on the shoulder and give him a significant look as they pass. Daichi intentionally looks away, and Koushi rolls their eyes.

Koushi isn’t sure why they feel so much more certain about Tobio than they did about Asahi, or even Daichi when they first met. When they think about it, their eyes staring up at the ceiling of the tent in the dark, they picture Tobio’s eyes. No one has ever looked at them quite like that before, and beyond leaving Koushi speechless, it had left them sure. They suppose it could be a lapse in judgment; perhaps the comfort provided by being so successful for so long has left them cocky, and they’re simply too egotistical to see it. It feels unlikely, though. Pride has never been on their list of sins, whatever else may be written there.

And that leaves them back where they started. Koushi can only call it a feeling, one of those things that pulls at the gut and leaves them feeling raw. The ring Tobio had given them is strung onto a piece of cord and hangs around their neck, and they hold it tight as they think of him: of his eyes and the want that he wore in them.

The want that Koushi recognized as the same want they’d had when they left home.

There’s nothing scheduled to come through the next two days, so all there really is to do is wait. Daichi and Asahi are, somehow, even more awkward around each other than usual; Koushi has to wonder what happened between them after Koushi went to bed. 

“Sometimes I want to smack you and Asahi both upside the head, you know?” Koushi says conversationally to Daichi on the day Tobio is meant to return. They’re out hunting; Asahi is back at camp.

“Why?” Daichi grumbles.

“Because you’re both so painfully in love with each other and you refuse to admit it.” Koushi shakes their head. “It’s hard to watch.”

“He’s not in love with me.”

“How can you not see it?”

“Because he’s not!”

“Ugh,” Koushi grumbles. “Fine. But you could be happy and you’re choosing to hold yourself back.”

“I’m happy!” Daichi protests. Koushi nocks an arrow and points it into the distance, and Daichi sighs. “I’m happy.”

The arrow goes flying, the deer goes down, and Koushi stands and stretches their legs. “Keep telling yourself that.”

Daichi carves the meat and they return to camp, bickering comfortably the whole way back. Koushi sidetracks them briefly just as they approach, spotting some sprigs of lavender that Asahi could use for medicine making, and pushing them into Daichi’s hand.

“Switch me for the meat,” Koushi insists, and before Daichi can question it they knick the sack off his back. They run ahead of him and up onto the hill where camp awaits.

“Asahi! Look what Daichi found for you!”

Asahi looks up from the scroll he’d been writing on. Daichi’s face is bright red when he appears at the top of the hill.

“Oh!” Asahi says. He smiles as he stands and goes over to Daichi. “Thank you.”

“You’re welcome,” Daichi says, blushing even harder. 

_ TALK TO HIM, _ Koushi mouths, and they set the meat down by the fire and go into their tent.

Koushi could be putting them all in danger. They know that. They could be risking everything they’ve built over the last several years, more than they usually do. They think of Daichi and Asahi, so close to each other and yet still unable to communicate the things they’re feeling. Koushi is putting their budding relationship on the line for...for what, exactly? It’s not for anything superficial. Flirting with Tobio had been fun, but all thoughts of that had gone out the window the moment they’d stepped into the carriage together. They had only spoken for a few minutes, but Koushi definitely thinks there could be  _ something _ between themself and Tobio. And beyond that, they want a better life for Tobio, something he can’t have where he is now. Absentmindedly, they finger the ring around their neck.

Are they willing to endanger everyone’s lives for one man’s freedom?

When they emerge a bit later, Daichi and Asahi are at least sitting close together by the fire, their thighs pressed against each other. Koushi considers that a sign of progress. Koushi even manages not to tease either of them over dinner. 

The time comes that they need to leave to meet Tobio, and Koushi takes their bow with trepidation. They know Daichi and Asahi won’t be receptive to what they need to say, but they need to say it anyway.

“He could come with guards,” Koushi says to the others as they walk down the hill and toward the road. “He could come with an army, for all we know. I’ll watch, like I always do. The second cardinal call is all clear.”

“And owl call is trouble,” Asahi finishes. He puts a hand on Koushi’s shoulder. “We know, Koushi.” 

Koushi takes a deep breath. “If I owl call, I want you to run. Don’t wait for me, and don’t go back to camp. Just run.”

“Koushi, we’re not going to do that,” Daichi says. “Don’t be stupid.”

“I’ve thought about this for three days now,” Koushi answers. “If we’re going to be betrayed tonight, it will be entirely my fault. I’m the one who is trusting the word of a stranger. Neither of you should be punished for my mistake, if that’s what it is.”

“Koushi,” Asahi says sharply. He stops walking, and his grip on their shoulder tightens. Koushi turns to look at him. “We’re not leaving you. It’s as simple as that.”

“We’re family, the three of us,” Daichi says. “We live and die as one.”

“There’s no need for you to die on my behalf,” Koushi says angrily.

“And there’s no need for you to sacrifice yourself on ours,” Daichi argues. “Where you go, we go. It’s been that way for years, and it’s going to keep being that way.”

“You’re stuck with us,” Asahi says. “Get used to it.”

Koushi’s teeth grind together. “You’re both idiots,” they manage.

“You’re an idiot, too,” Daichi says, but there’s fondness in his tone. “So I guess that makes us even.”

He’s smiling, and it makes Koushi sigh. “I won’t argue with you. But I think you’re making the wrong decision.”

“It’s already made,” Asahi says.

They walk on. Koushi thinks about family. The family they’d once had, their mother and father and siblings, couldn’t have cared less about them. When they disappeared, they’d waited nearby for a few days, to see if anyone even took notice. No word was ever passed from any of them. It was like Koushi had never existed in their home at all. 

Asahi and Daichi, on the other hand, fought for their right to stand at Koushi’s side. They wanted to be companions, and they’ve spent every moment for the last several years looking out for each other, caring for each other, reveling in moments of joy and mourning in moments of sorrow. Daichi had been right: they lived and died as one, and Koushi knows that if they were in the position they’ve put Daichi and Asahi in, they would make the same decision. For either of them, for tiny Hitoka, who has a glimmer of mischief under all that innocence, for Kiyoko and Ryuunosuke, who risk themselves every day by being close to the action, for Yuu, whose fiery spirit is a constant source of light when he’s around. Family, they think, isn’t the blood relatives who are stuck with you, but the friends who fight to be by your side, who choose you over everything. And Koushi couldn’t have a better family than they do now.

If it happens to expand by another member, they know he will be accepted among their ranks, treated the way he deserves, and loved just as fiercely as any other person among them.

Koushi just hopes that’s really what Tobio wants.

When they arrive at the place where they’re meeting Tobio, Koushi climbs up into a tree and keeps their eyes fixed on the road. Daichi is a few meters back with both hands on his greatsword, and Asahi is somewhere nearby with a quarterstaff and a stash of medicine. This is the way their family works, and as they wait for Tobio, the three of them are one.

The moon is steadily rising through the sky. Koushi is grateful the night is clear, hardly a cloud in the sky, and the light from the moon and stars shines steadily over the land. They wait for no more than an hour before a figure approaches. Koushi’s stomach fills with jitters as they make the first cardinal call. Koushi forces themself through their breathing routine.

One: in, hold, out. The figure seems to be limping. Tobio hadn’t been limping before. Is this, in fact, Tobio? Did something happen?

Two: in, hold, out. There’s no one else that Koushi can see in the distance. Whoever the person is, they are alone, and that causes Koushi no small amount of relief.

Three: in, hold, out. The figure is Tobio’s approximate height, but Koushi cannot make out any more details in the dark. 

Four: in, hold, out. Koushi sees Tobio’s gaze in their mind’s eye, steady, unwavering. Koushi wonders how they must have looked the day they left their family’s home behind. They wonder if they could have looked as strong as Tobio did.

Five: in, hold.

The figure’s face is illuminated, finally, and as Koushi breathes out, a tear unexpectedly tracks down their cheek.

They make the second cardinal call as they swing down out of the tree. The closer Tobio gets, the worse his limp seems, and Koushi rushes toward him. 

“You came,” Koushi says, and they wrap their arms around Tobio’s neck as they fly into him. It unbalances him, and Koushi has to catch him before they both tumble backward. 

“I told you I would,” Tobio says, but he doesn’t sound miffed to have to reassure them. He pulls away from the hug. “Koushi, I’m sorry, I couldn’t bring the gold—”

“Why are you limping?” Koushi interrupts.

Tobio’s brows furrow. “My father was...displeased,” he manages, and anger spikes hot in Koushi’s blood. “He had me watched constantly once I arrived. I told him we were attacked on the road but I think he knew what I’d done. He called me cowardly, said I wasn’t worthy to be his son.”

“Did he hurt you?” Koushi asks, and even they’re surprised by the deadliness of their tone.

Tobio shakes his head. “I had to slip out a window when I was leaving tonight, and I landed wrong. I should have been here earlier, I’m sorry.”

“I’m just glad you’re safe,” Koushi answers. They take Tobio’s hand and squeeze it tightly. “We’ll get more gold another day.”

“I made you a promise,” Tobio says. “I had every intention of keeping it.”

“I know,” Koushi answers. “Come on, let’s get back to camp.”

Koushi doesn’t bother disentangling their hands as they begin to walk, and Tobio doesn’t, either. Koushi is pleased, and surprised, and a lot of other feelings they’ll have to sort out in their head later. Daichi is waiting just at the entrance to the forest.

“Glad you could join us,” Daichi says. He sticks out his hand for Daichi to shake. “Daichi Sawamura. Resident swordsman and weapons maker.”

“Nice to meet you,” Tobio says.

“Asahi’s just down the path,” Daichi says to Koushi. “We should get going.”

“Please,” Koushi says.

They take a few steps before Koushi hears it: the sound of horses’ hooves, beating hard and fast against the earth. Koushi looks up at Tobio, who looks panicked.

“My father—he could have sent men after me, if he noticed I was gone,” Tobio says.

“Behind the trees,” Daichi says, yanking both of them out of sight. 

Tobio sits heavily on the ground, having lost his balance when Daichi pulled him. Koushi positions themself directly in front of him and puts an arm out in front of Daichi as they wait.

“Knock it off,” Daichi says, batting at them. “We live and die as one, remember?”

“I’m still going first,” Koushi argues.

A few moments later the first horse goes thundering past them. Koushi wonders if perhaps they’ll all just go past, misled, thinking Tobio has gone on farther, when a voice calls them to a halt just meters from where they’re standing. The horses bray as the men dismount.

“Do you trust your guards, Tobio?” Koushi whispers.

“I do,” Tobio answers immediately. “They’re loyal, even if they didn’t always agree with me. They wouldn’t have said anything unless they were being threatened.”

Koushi stares as the men begin to investigate just at the spot where Tobio’s caravan was stopped.

“I think it’s safe to say they’re being threatened, then,” Daichi murmurs.

“No chance they’ll negotiate?” Koushi asks.

“None,” Tobio answers.

Koushi counts the men approaching. There are ten or so, all armed, from what they can see. They can win, but not without a hard fight.

“Tobio, you’re staying here,” Koushi says. “You’re injured, and you’re who they want.”

“They want both of us,” Tobio corrects. “The bounty on your head was just increased.”

“They can’t have either of you,” Daichi says firmly. “Koushi’s right, Tobio, you stay here.”

“They’re my father’s men, I want to help,” Tobio says.

Koushi risks turning their head and squatting down in front of Tobio. “I won’t have you risking yourself. We can take them. We’ve taken on larger bands before.” They don’t add that they sometimes have the help of a fourth member. 

Koushi can see the way Tobio’s jaw clamps down, and they realize he’s probably just as stubborn as they are. Yet another thing they have in common. 

Before they can change their mind, they lean forward and steal a kiss from Tobio’s lips. He gasps but relaxes almost instantly, his hands coming up to hold Koushi on either side of their neck.

Koushi pulls away with a grin. “That was for good luck.”

“Koushi,” Daichi warns.

“We’ll be fine,” Koushi says. They turn and peer around the corner, unsheathing their dagger as they do. The closest man is only a few meters away. Koushi screams, a noise that splits the night, and charges forward.

The first two go down quickly, surprise making them easy targets as Koushi and Daichi each knock one out. By now Asahi knows they’re in trouble and should be right behind them. Koushi has to work a little harder for their next target, as he’s much bigger than they are. They grapple him from the front, and the surprise of their weight thrown against him is enough to make him stumble, but not fall. Koushi hops off and spars with him, sword against dagger, until they spot an opening and successfully punch him square in the jaw. He goes down hard, and Koushi almost feels bad when they spot a drip of blood from his nose. 

Asahi is whirling, fighting off two men at once with the length of their staff. Daichi has engaged one man in combat so fierce Koushi can practically see their sweat dripping from here. The other four are searching frantically nearby, presumably to attempt to find Tobio, and Koushi prays he’s hidden himself well.

They climb up into a tree and pull their bow off their back. One arrow they lodge in the leg of a man too close to where Tobio is for Koushi’s comfort. One of the men is approaching Daichi from behind, and an arrow into his shoulder stops his advance. He falls backward with a thud, and Daichi gains the upper hand just long enough to call out a thank you before getting back into action. Koushi nocks a third and is watching to see if they can take down one of the men Asahi is sparring with when another cry pierces the night.

Koushi’s eyes find him immediately. Tobio has emerged from right in front of the man Koushi had shot in the leg, grabbing his sword as he advances. If they were closer, perhaps they couldn’t see the stiffness in the way he moves and wouldn’t know he’s injured, but from above it’s plain as day. He advances into the battlefield, and the three men who’d been searching elsewhere all converge on him at once.

“Tobio!” Koushi shouts. They swing down out of the tree and run toward him. They engage one of the men in combat, elbowing him in the side and forcing him away from Tobio. The sound of steel against steel is all they can hear past the roaring in their ears. They fight with a furor they haven’t felt in a long time. These men want Tobio to suffer, to hurt, to be prey to his father’s schemes for the rest of his life. They haven’t known Tobio long, but they know he’s  _ good,  _ so much better than the life he was born into, and they want him to know the freedom they know, the freedom he deserves.

Koushi finally takes down the man they’re fighting with, finishing him off with a kick to the chest that knocks him hard into the ground. When they turn, they find Tobio on the ground himself with both men advancing on him.

Koushi screams once again. They push between the men and throw themself in front of Tobio. They’re not equipped to take on two men at once, but they can’t think about that now. They engage with both, pushing hard into one, twirling, punching the chest of the other. They take an elbow in their side that leaves them wheezing. From their bent position they sweep their leg, trying to take one down, but he sidesteps easily and advances. Koushi stands up and adjusts their grip on the dagger, preparing to have to draw blood if necessary, but a presence appears at their side.

“You’re not doing this alone,” Tobio urges.

“You should have stayed back, idiot,” Koushi replies.

“I’m here now, so let’s do this together.”

“Let’s.”

Koushi goes low while Tobio goes high; Koushi hits the kneecap hard while Tobio uses the blunt side of the sword against his head. He goes down with a groan. The other man must have seen Tobio favoring his good ankle, because he goes for the bad one with a vengeance, but Koushi intervenes, throwing themself between them and whirling their dagger in his direction. When he dodges it, Tobio is right there to engage, throwing his blade heavily against the guard’s. 

Koushi and Tobio fight like they’ve been fighting together for years. Tobio reads Koushi’s every movement perfectly, and Koushi responds in kind. It’s not long before they have the guard pushed against a tree with Tobio’s sword at his throat. Koushi looks around, breathing heavily. Asahi has knocked out both the men he was fighting, and Daichi has bested his foe, standing with his sword held to the man’s head.

“Please, be kind...we’re only doing what we’re told,” the guard Tobio has pinned begs.

“Then do as I tell you now,” Tobio says. “Go back to my father. Tell him you found me dead on the road, beaten to death by bandits. Tell him you never found Hood or their friends, and there was no sign of them near my body.”

“Give him this,” Koushi adds, ripping the ring from the cord around their neck. They place it in the man’s hand. “Tell him that’s the only thing you recognized from the body.”

The man nods. Tobio lets him go. He and those who are still conscious wake the ones who aren’t, dragging them back to their horses as needed. They thunder away, and then they’re gone. As soon as they’re out of sight, Tobio groans, leaning heavily against Koushi’s side.

“I told you to stay put,” Koushi grumbles.

“You were in trouble,” Tobio argues. “I wasn’t leaving you out there alone.”

“We’d have been fine,” Koushi says. “And now you’re in even more pain.”

“You can fight it out later, lovebirds,” Daichi says, and he sounds weary. “We have a camp to get back to. Beds awaiting us.”

Tobio looks at Koushi. “And you’re sure I’m welcome?”

Koushi huffs. “You fought at our side tonight, Tobio. Of course you’re welcome at our camp.”

“I’m Asahi, by the way,” Asahi says, offering a hand to Tobio. “They call me the Friar.”

Daichi goes to Tobio’s other side and puts his arm around his shoulder, and they begin the slow walk back toward camp. It’s quiet for a while, the pain and exhaustion getting to them all.

“Do you think they’ll actually do it?” Koushi asks Tobio. “You think they’ll tell your dad all that stuff?”

“I truly don’t know,” Tobio answers. His voice is straining slightly, and Koushi is reminded of how close he came to being even more injured. “Even if they do, at some point I want to go back for Kindaichi and Kunimi. They’re in danger every moment they stay with him.”

“We’ll need a few days to rest and recover,” Daichi says. “Especially with that ankle of yours.”

Tobio frowns. “I don’t expect you to go with me.”

Koushi laughs, loud and hard. Daichi and Asahi join in, and they have to pause their walk to catch their breath.

“What?” Tobio demands.

“You’re stuck with us now, Tobio,” Koushi says, and they can’t help but lean in and press their lips against his cheek. “We live and die as one. Welcome to the family.”

***

“Yuu should be here within the next day or two,” Koushi says as they reach the top of the hill. “You’ll get to meet him.”

“I’m not sure if I should be worried or not,” Tobio answers. “The things you’ve told me are, quite honestly, a little frightening.”

“He’s an intense guy all around, in work and play,” Asahi pitches in. He’s sitting in front of the fire, slowly turning a rabbit they’d trapped that morning. “He’s a lot of fun.”

“I truly hope it’s your bedroll he sticks cockroaches in this time around,” Daichi says.

“I have a feeling that’s going to backfire on you, Dai,” Koushi says. “You forget you’re sharing one now?”

Asahi and Daichi both blush, and it makes Koushi laugh. They wrap an arm around Tobio’s waist.

“What else from Ryuunosuke and Kiyoko?” Daichi asks.

“Miwa’s gotten back to us,” Tobio says. He holds the scroll up in his hands. “Says there’s gonna be a huge ball next month and lots of important people will be coming into town.”

“Good thing Yuu will be around,” Daichi says. “We’ll need the extra help for all the raids.”

Kindaichi claps his hands together. “Finally! I was beginning to wonder if all you guys do is sit in the forest and sing songs and shit.”

“We haven’t sung a single song,” Asahi says.

“But we could, if you like,” Koushi adds with a grin.

Kunimi sticks out his tongue. “No thanks.”

Koushi looks around the fire at their family, which seems to be growing all the time. Kindaichi is loud, and enjoys arguing with Tobio over every little thing, but their love and loyalty for each other is clear as day. Kunimi, on the other hand, is quiet, observant, and has a sense of humor that often leaves Koushi doubled over with laughter. Recovering the two of them had also brought a good amount of gold out from under Tobio’s father’s nose. Miwa’s been an important resource in the city, and every day she takes a little bit of power back from Tobio’s father. Having Shouyou’s help has doubled Hitoka’s capacity to distribute the money they bring in. Ryuunosuke and Kiyoko have been steady, strong, and wonderful as they’ve always been. Asahi and Daichi are finally together, and Koushi has Tobio, who’s every bit as headstrong and insistent as Koushi themself. 

Tobio leans in and murmurs into their ear. “What are you thinking?”

Koushi smiles. “I’m just happy. Everything’s working out pretty well lately.”

Tobio looks around the camp. Kunimi has just said something that has Kindaichi in stitches, and Asahi is looking at Daichi with a warm smile. He turns his head back to Koushi.

“Thanks to you,” he says. “You’re the one who built this.”

“We built it together,” Koushi corrects. “All of us.”

Tobio hums, a smile on his face. Koushi had been right when they’d first met; the smile only makes him more breathtakingly beautiful. “It’s a good thing, Koushi. You’re doing a good thing.”

“Yeah,” Koushi agrees. They lean their head into Tobio’s shoulder. “Yeah, we really are.”

**Author's Note:**

> thanks as always to my team, but extra big shoutout to cat for the idea, and to cat, gray, and tawnya for the beta  
> socials at joshllyman.carrd.co


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